RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Estonia to the Republic of Armenia Marge Mardisalu-Kahar.

ESCS Deputy Minister Arthur Martirosyan also attended the meeting.

Zhanna Andreasyan welcomed the Ambassador and emphasized the significance of fostering cooperation between the two friendly countries, as well as the potential of implementing joint program initiatives in the fields of education, science, culture, sports and youth, to strengthen and advance bilateral relations.

Highlighting the existing cooperation, the ESCS Minister touched upon the activities of the Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV) in Armenia. The Minister emphasized the significance of the pilot teacher training program in 6 Kapan schools, conducted in collaboration with the National Center for Education Development and Innovation, as part of which, the teachers also made a study visit to Estonia to familiarize themselves with educational programs, school experience and management models. Separate training sessions were also held for the teachers at the Lori COAF SMART Center.

The ESCS Minister gave an overview of the ongoing large-scale reforms in the education sector in Armenia, emphasizing that the experience of international partners is of great importance on the path to implementing efficient reforms.

Zhanna Andreasyan suggested considering the possibilities of advancing inter-university cooperation, as well as implementing joint educational and research programs, both in a bilateral and multilateral format, as part of the EU “Erasmus+” and “Horizon Europe” programs.

Reference was also made to the possibility of fostering cultural cooperation through the implementation of joint programs. Zhanna Andreasyan suggested considering co-production programs for films, regarding the possibility of a cash rebate system.

The parties also discussed the possibilities of advancing inter-museum collaboration, cooperation in the field of literature and art, and direct cooperation between Armenian and Estonian choral organizations.

Thankful for the reception, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Estonia to Armenia Marge Mardisalu-Kahar emphasized that the Government of Estonia has increased attention to Armenia by including it among the priority development partner countries. The Ambassador expressed her willingness to expand the scope of cooperation development programs.

In this regard, the sides emphasized the significance of arranging high-level bilateral visits.

Other issues of mutual interest were also discussed during the meeting.